St. Paul Wins Grants for Central Corridor
Friday, February 02, 2007 at 9:17 pm
- 2 Comments
The McKnight Foundation, the F.R. Bigelow Foundation and the St. Paul Foundation have given more than $1 million to the city of St. Paul for the Central Corridor light-rail project.
The grants will allow the city to hire a consulting firm to lead the planning and design work. The city will also be working with another consultant firm to create precinct plans along University Avenue.
The grants will also allow the establishment of a Central Corridor Communications and Planning Office, and translation for a multi-lingual website in English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali.
“These grants will be very helpful in our efforts to do the necessary planning and outreach for developing the Central Corridor. Building light-rail along University Avenue and down Cedar to Union Depot involves a lot more than just laying the tracks,” St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said in a prepared statement.
2 Comments
Comment posted February 3, 2007 @ 10:22 am
Amazing Why is it that public capital projects *never* come in anywhere near budget?
The McKnight Foundation: $500,000 for “outreach, organizing, translation services, communications and the Design Center”.
The Saint Paul Foundation: $300,000 for “planning consultants” and “community engagement staff”.
The F.R. Bigelow Foundation: $250,000 for “planning consultants” and “community engagement staff”.
I have not gotten an response from the Mayors office yet (and I’m not holding my breath), but I’d be willing to bet that the “Design center” has nothing to do with the actual engineering and design of a train and rail system and that those “planning consultants” are engaged in planning the the same type of mummery that the “Design Center” is busy with.
This money does not come from the taxpayers, and I’m all for private groups spending their funds in whatever manner they choose.
None the less, it is educational to see how public works projects blow through mountains of cash like a hot knife through butter.
Comment posted February 3, 2007 @ 4:22 am
Amazing Why is it that public capital projects *never* come in anywhere near budget?
The McKnight Foundation: $500,000 for “outreach, organizing, translation services, communications and the Design Center”.
The Saint Paul Foundation: $300,000 for “planning consultants” and “community engagement staff”.
The F.R. Bigelow Foundation: $250,000 for “planning consultants” and “community engagement staff”.
I have not gotten an response from the Mayors office yet (and I'm not holding my breath), but I'd be willing to bet that the “Design center” has nothing to do with the actual engineering and design of a train and rail system and that those “planning consultants” are engaged in planning the the same type of mummery that the “Design Center” is busy with.
This money does not come from the taxpayers, and I'm all for private groups spending their funds in whatever manner they choose.
None the less, it is educational to see how public works projects blow through mountains of cash like a hot knife through butter.
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